Yahoo Lifestyle 5 minutes With Iggy Azalea
Iggy Azalea. Photo: Getty Images.
Last year Iggy Azalea, a 23-year-old rapper from rural NSW, made it to the top of the charts and nearly every fashion and music ‘hot list’. After a massive 2013 of touring and opening for Beyonce, Azalea shows no sign of slowing down. She recently announced a release date for her much anticipated LP, The New Classic, and yesterday dropped a new single featuring Charli XCX, called ‘Fancy’. She chatted to mc about her childhood in Australia and defying expectations.
Mullumbimby is not the kind of place most rappers come from. How did you get into rap?
I think music talks to you on an emotional level, regardless of where you’re from. I guess I related to the tempo of rap, the aggressiveness. I think most music provides the same messages – whether it be “I’m unhappy” or “I love a girl”. I just liked the package of rap music.
Do you still have friends in Mullumbimby?
Not friends, just family. I’ve been back a few times – a lot less in the last couple of years. But it’s a strange thing to go back; I'm always surprised at how much has changed. I went back for Christmas in 2011 and a Woolworths had opened – it really freaked me out!
Being Australian and a woman, have you had to work harder to prove yourself in rap?
Yeah, I'm sure I have. People are even more unforgiving so there’s no room for error. But I think if I wanted to be a fashion designer or an accountant I’d still be a perfectionist. I don’t know how much of that is me having to prove myself and how much of it is my own insanity.
Iggy on the red carpet at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Photo: Getty Images.
You went topless in the video for ‘Change Your Life’ and refused to do a censored version for YouTube. Why?
I think that music is still art, even if it’s commercialised. You can go to a gallery and see a painting of anything; you should be able to go online and listen to a song about anything or go and see a music video about anything. There is so much violence on the internet – I think that is a far worse influence than a nipple. Why do you have be over 18 to see one but not the other?
You’ve said that you use your sexuality but always on your own terms. What’s the distinction? When isn’t it empowering?
Probably every time I do a photo shoot and they want me to wear latex and turn and show my butt for them.
Does that happen a lot?
Almost every photo shoot! The photographer will say, “This next shot is going to focus on your beautiful curvy body,” and I know what’s coming next... a bunch of latex! It’s such a battle. I am a sexual person, but I do sexuality to have a message. When I made the video for ‘Bounce’ I didn’t show my butt and I was covered from head to toe. But it has a quarter of the views as the other videos, so when you’re trying to be a businesswoman what do you do? But it is what it is. You can’t be dictated to by labels and numbers, but it is hard.
The New Classic is out April 14.
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